TO ALL 2016 TEAM PARENTS...
Welcome to a new season...
We know the role of Team Parent is certainly an important one. You are the link between the league administrators and the parents of the players on your team. Being a team parent means you will get to be a part of your child's team. Even better -- your child will get to see a real role model in action.
For those of you who have done this in the past, the following guide will give you reminders of some of the duties we’re asking for help with. If you’re new at it, then the information here will help you become an excellent Team Parent. It does take some work, but this is a volunteer league, so don’t be afraid to ask the other parents for help. We’re all here to promote good sportsmanship, enjoy our kids’ games and have fun!
All team parents will be notified via email of any league happenings. It is each team parent’s responsibility to get this information to the parents of your players. Below is an outline of the duties of a team parent:
A. Canal is a 100% volunteer organization. We need all the help we can get. Encourage your
families to get involved and explain to them why things work the way they do.
B. Work bonds
1. Each family must complete 2 three hour shifts of volunteer work. One of those shifts MUST be in the concession stand. The other shift can also be in the concession stand or can be in any capacity i.e., managing, coaching, team parent, field day, opening day etc.
2. Volunteers MUST SIGN IN when doing their volunteer hours in order to get credit. Tell them to look for the binders in the concession stand. Please make sure to fill in the child's name, their division, and their team.
3. Once the two shifts are completed, checks will be returned or a refund will be issued if you paid online. Watch for announcements later in the season for dates when board members will be present on Canal grounds for families to pick up their refund check.
I. General responsibilities of the team parent
A. Do everything off the field for the team so that the managers and coaches can concentrate on everything on the field for the team.
B. Be the liaison between the league and your team. Distribute all information you receive from us in a timely manner.
C. Sometimes the coach may have a coaching conflict. They may need you or another parent to help practice with the team or help out in the dugout especially in T ball and minors.
D. You can also create your team's website on Shutterfly. With today's technology, staying connected with team information is easier than every with Shutterfly Team Page. With Shutterfly, you can create a free webpage for your team where you can input the Team's Practice schedule, Game schedule, Snack schedule, AND you can post pictures of the game to share and relive the moments. Once this information has been entered into your Shutterfly Team Page you as a BEST TEAM PARENT are pretty much hands off with notifying parents of upcoming games and practices because Shutterfly does it for you. Please still have at least one paper copy of the Roster and Snack schedule. Why? Because even in this day and age there may still be parents or grandparents that just don't login to a computer or have a phone where they can receive e-mail in order to get the game notifications from Shutterfly. If you think it is easier to give out copies of the Roster and Snack schedule that is fine too. What ever is easier for you. There are also other team website's that you can use like Team Snap or Team App.
II. Specific areas of attention during the season
A. Help with uniforms – Organize socks and belt colors. Help distribute the uniforms. Decide if the team wants names embroidered on hats and take care of collecting the money and getting it done. (This is optional but the entire team must participate.)
B. Help your team get to know each other.
1. Create rosters with parents’ names and players’ jersey numbers so everyone can cheer for the kids.
2. Get cell phone number and email addresses for parents so you can notify them of important last minute changes in the schedule. They will thank you!
C. Opening Day
1. Set a meeting place for your team to gather for opening day.
2. Help them get organized at picture time.
D. Pictures – Deliver forms and schedule to families.
E. Fundraiser – Deliver forms to families, encourage them to participate, collect forms, and turn them in on time.
F. Help the league get volunteers for events throughout the season.
III. Specific areas of attention during games
A. Snacks
1. Details regarding team orders will be posted on the website closer to opening day.
2. Place the order for your team before your game starts and give the stand an estimated pick up time.The earlier you get your order in, the better chance you have of getting your first choice. They do run out!
3. Remember if your team is playing inter-league games, you will have to make other arrangements for
those games.
4. The team parent can take the responsibility of handling snack at each game after collecting money from the families at the beginning of the season or you can assign a different parent to each game. It is your choice--- Parents can order from the concession stand or bring their own snacks. It is a good idea to find out if any children on the team have any food allergies. Remember safety first. .
B. Get your families to help prep and clean up the field before and after games. The coaches and managers will spend or have just spent a lot time volunteering for your children during the game and they want to go home with their families as well. Fans can help rake the fields before and after the games while the coaches are warming up the players or having their post game meeting.
C. Trash Duty
1. All of us are responsible for lease keep the Canal Complex Clean.
2. Each team is required to go to the concession stand prior to your game and get a trash bag.
3. Have everyone use that bag for the game and take it to the dumpster before you leave to go home.
4. Encourage the children to take pride in their fields by picking up an extra piece of trash before they go home. Leave the field cleaner than when you arrived.
5. If you are playing a team from another league, get a trash bag for them, give it to their manager, explain our policy and ask them to get their team’s cooperation.
IV. End of season
A. Division Champions – Divisions that have playoffs will receive their trophies immediately following the championship game.
B. If your team wants to give individual trophies to your players, the team parent picks the trophy (after consulting with the manager), collects the money from the parents, orders the trophy, and picks them up or has them delivered in time for the manager to distribute at a time that is best for the team i.e. last game, party, etc. Consult your manager and parents for their decision.
C. All Star options – If your team is an age where all stars is an option for the players, help your manager distribute and collect interest forms. More information on that will come later in the season.
D. Coaches’ gifts – Gifts for managers and coaches is optional. Talk to your parents and organize what they decide they want to do.
E. Party – An end-of-season party is optional but is always fun. Work with your manager to plan what is appropriate for your team.
V. GAME CANCELLATION POLICY
The following steps will be taken when calling games: Each league officer makes a decision based on their individual fields and will be posted to the website or sent via text message service. If it is after 4:00 (weekdays)or 8:00am (weekends), then both participating managers will make a decision. If the managers cannot agree then it goes to the umpires to make the decision. The last persons in the chain of command at game time will be the umpires. Once the umpire starts the game, he can then cancel the game for safety reasons if necessary. All games will be made up in accordance with their league's policy.
VI. Thank you for all you do! Canal needs your help and we appreciate all your effort. This may sound like a lot of work but it is a lot more fun than it is work. Any questions please contact Sheila Stecher at canalteamparent@gmail.com HAVE A GREAT SEASON!
